Customer service is defined by “the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services”. If that was all customer service was about, then there would be no need for Yelp and the myriad of other customer rating sites. Great customer service means having a team that buys into the idea of great customer service and the opportunity to “Be the Hero.”

How do you get your team to buy into offering great customer service? An approach that has worked for my team has been the “Be the Hero” approach. No capes, masks or underwear on the outside of their clothes… Simply put, I give my team the opportunity to make things happen for their customers or look for the little things that mean a lot to a customer. Within the guidelines of our companies policies, the team knows what they can do. And they have the power to do it.

For a “Be the Hero” approach to work, the team needs to be knowledgeable about the company, product and policies. And they need to be knowledgeable about their customer. With this information, the team knows the who, what, when, why, where and how. Knowledge is power when it comes to customer service and making things happen for a customer. Some examples of great customer service include:

Do something for your customer before they ask;

Watch for the details and attend to them;

Listen more than you talk;

Communicate before, during and after;

Follow up.

Check out these great examples of incredible customer service. “Be the Hero” can be super simple, but mean a lot to the customer it is directed. And even my team feels super proud after recognizing they have created a “Be the Hero” moment for a customer. Doing the good can go unrecognized sometimes, and that’s fine. Better to be unrecognized for doing something good, than be recognized for doing something bad.

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is mistakes happen and/or we will never be able to make everyone happy. However, how you respond to the “bad” events still presents opportunities to “be a hero”.

Own up to mistakes and/or apologize for the issue;

Explain what you “can do”;

Do what you say you “can do”;

Follow up.

Good or bad, customer service is a team effort that they need to have buy in. “Be the Hero” approach gives each team member the power to be super…